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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the people of Zimbabwe on an orderly election and urged them to remain calm during the vote counting and throughout the completion of the electoral process.

The Secretary-General "commends the Zimbabwean people for a broadly peaceful election day and for exercising their democratic rights," a spokesperson said in a statement about the polls, held on 31 July.

Mr. Ban recalled the commitment made by the incumbent President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power for 33 years, and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, as well as other political parties, to ensure peaceful elections, the spokesperson said, and he called on them "to send clear messages of calm to their supporters."

In the statement, Mr. Ban added that concerns raised about certain aspects of the electoral process should be pursued through established channels.

"These concerns should then be considered transparently and fairly," the statement continued. "The most important thing is that the will of the people of Zimbabwe is respected."

The UN chief also encouraged the country's leadership to govern responsibly and inclusively. In the statement, he also encouraged the leadership to pursue policies and reforms that could serve to deepen democratic governance and also spur economic recovery that would benefit all Zimbabweans.